West Park Baptist Church

Loving God, Loving People, Impacting the World

Jesus

Christ in the Old Testament: Christ in the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22)

by Leave a Comment

Genesis 22 is a common passage people wrestle with. God is supposedly good and loving, and yet here he point-blank asks Abraham to kill his own son. How do we reconcile that reality with the truth about God we see throughout the rest of the Bible? Is this story an ancient tale revealing God as a brute or is it a beautiful picture of God’s character? I’m arguing for the latter. 

After promising Abraham many descendents (12:2), entering into a covenant with him (15:1-21), confirming this covenant (17:4-14), and determining that Abraham and his wife Sarah will bear a child themselves in their old age (17:17-21), Isaac is finally born (21:1-7). It’s a joyous occasion worth celebrating. God has delivered on his promise. So far, so good. 

But then things take an abrupt, confusing turn as we enter Genesis 22. In the first two verses, God commands Abraham to take this son and sacrifice him. I’ll admit, this tends to make me raise my eyebrows and squint a bit. Thankfully, with a careful reading of Scripture we can see the beauty of this text. 

For starters, there’s a piece of information in verse 1 present for the reader but absent from Abraham as he’s given the command: this is a test. The implication is that God never intended for Abraham to actually sacrifice Isaac. It’s all about Abraham’s faith. God has promised him repeatedly that he will make a great nation out of him through which he will bless the world; will Abraham stand firm in trust? One writer summarized the dilemma well, saying “Abraham had left his home in Ur and given up his past for the sake of God’s promise. Now he was being asked if he would trust God by apparently surrendering his future as well.”1. God understood the gravity of the request, emphasizing not only that Isaac is the fulfillment of a promise, but that Abraham deeply loves Isaac (v. 3).

Abraham, in faith, trusted God. The next morning, he got up and took Isaac and two servants on a multi-day journey to a mountain in the region of Moriah. It’s crucial to notice Abraham’s words to the servants in verse 5. There, he affirms that he and Isaac are going to worship God, and they will both return soon. Whatever happens on top of the mountain, Abraham believes that God will intervene. If he must sacrifice his son, he believes that God will raise him from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). 

This truth is solidified further in verses 6-8. Isaac astutely notices that everything is present for the sacrifice… except the sacrifice. Abraham answers that God will provide. Consider that to be strong foreshadowing. 

Finally, on the mountain, Abraham prepared the altar, and then tied Isaac to it, pulling the knife on him and preparing to sacrifice him. No dialogue between Abraham and Isaac is recorded here, but I can’t imagine the tension present as Isaac was bound to the altar. Dad, if you’re reading this, don’t get any ideas! 

Finally, in the height of the tension, the angel of the Lord stopped him, affirming his faith and obedience to God. The story ends with Abraham seeing and sacrificing instead a ram caught in a thicket. He praises God as Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides, and is then reassured by the angel of the Lord that God’s promises to him will come true. 

It’s time we ask our key question: where is Jesus in this story? 

I would encourage you to take a few moments and reread Genesis 22, looking for the various connections to the life and work of Jesus. If you’re up for the challenge, try to find at least five connections before reading the rest of this post. 

Now let me point out a few that stick out to me. 

Starting in verse 2, God’s request for Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the one whom he loves, is a sentiment echoed in perhaps the most famous Bible verse, John 3:16. Jesus is God’s beloved son (Mark 1:11), and yet God is willing to walk the very path he calls Abraham to walk in faith. The contrast here is that Jesus willingly offered himself as a sacrifice; Isaac was not active in the decision in Genesis 22. 

Abraham and Isaac traveled alongside two servants, which can be reminiscent of the two criminals accompanying Jesus on the cross. Isaac carried the wood on his back as Jesus carried his cross. They were both raised (Jesus, literally; Isaac, figuratively) on the third day. 

The sacrifice took place on a mountain in the land of Moriah– interestingly, this is the same location where Solomon would eventually build the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). Burnt offerings, according to Leviticus, were to be male animals without blemish whose death would make atonement for the offerer. We know that Jesus is ultimately the spotless lamb who offered once for all for our sake on the cross (read Hebrews 9:1-10:18). 

On the mountain, Jehovah-Jireh gave Abraham a ram (an adult male sheep) to offer instead of his son. God has likewise provided a spotless ram in our place, his head caught in a crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29). 

There’s one more connection I want to bring to light, one that will show up repeatedly throughout the Old Testament. In verses 11-12, we’re told that it’s the angel of the Lord who stops Abraham from killing Isaac. A few verses later, in verses 15-18, this angel of the Lord reconfirms God’s covenant with Abraham that he’s established in the preceding chapters. I find it interesting that it’s God who talks to him directly at the beginning of the story, but then relegates the rest of the interaction to one of his angels. Why is this? Why has God gone silent? 

The answer? He hasn’t! If you remember the introductory post to this series, I referred to theophanies– visual appearances of God that point to the incarnation– as one way we see our Messiah in the Old Testament. This is one of those times! See, the Angel of the Lord is best understood to prefigure Jesus! 

The Angel of the Lord is a unique messenger of God who appears numerous times in the Old Testament. But this angel is not just a messenger. He’s also the Lord himself. This messenger of God communicates God’s words, but also speaks and acts in ways that are exclusive to the Lord himself. Read the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 and Moses in Exodus 3 to see a couple other examples of the angel of the Lord appearing to also be the Lord himself. This distinction provides a basic framework for our understanding of the Trinity, that Jesus is both God and yet distinct in personhood from the Father.  

Praise be to God that he is willing to do all that he asks of his people, that he has given up his beloved Son for our sake, that we may be reconciled to Him! Praise be to God that he knows the purity of our relationship with Him is more important than the blessings we receive from Him!

Advent 2020 – 1 John 1:1-4 (Dec. 17)

by Leave a Comment

The main truth of Advent is that in the Person of Jesus Christ, God took on humanity and came to earth to live among us. This is what the Apostle John could never get over. 

John is likely in his 80s when he wrote the verses in today’s Advent reading. He was living in Ephesus, where he’d resettled to avoid the Roman conquest of Jerusalem. Yet, elderly and far from home, John is filled with joy. Why? Because he got to live alongside Jesus Christ, listening to him, talking to him and touching him. God really came to the earth, and His desire was to hang out with and experience life as a human. 

John’s letter begins rather abruptly as he brings us into the experience he had when Jesus was with him and the other disciples. John wants us to share that experience with him, but he says it starts with us believing his eyewitness report. Both in John’s day and in our time, people deny that God really came and took on flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. What advantage is there to deny that truth? Well, false teachers love the opportunity to lead people astray, and it also gives us a sense of freedom to sin that ultimately traps and destroys us. 

John says that God “was made manifest” (2), meaning He was revealed to be seen and known. God’s mission wasn’t hidden. The Messiah wasn’t concealed. He came to be known by his people and to know them. 

Ultimately, this is why we can have fellowship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ: God took the initiative to live among us and rescue us from our sin. 

But God didn’t stop there. He didn’t go to all the trouble of taking on human flesh merely to take on human sin. Now, that was a massive, only-God-could-do-that thing, but He continued from there to personally come to each sinner, even now, who calls on Him by faith and fills them with joy. Where does that joy come from? It comes from the Word of Life Himself, Jesus, living in you. 

Even though John was old and Jesus had returned to heaven decades earlier, he still could not get over the wonder of what God had done through the Person of Jesus Christ. He was out to spread joy, so that all of us could be filled with joy along with him. A joy that doesn’t depend on the circumstances around us. A joy that doesn’t mean the same as the feeling of happiness. This is joy that defies circumstances and rises above feelings to give us deep, abiding joy – because Jesus dwells with us. 

 

Advent 2020 – Luke 1:26-38 (Dec. 9)

by Leave a Comment

Luke 1:31–33

[31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (ESV)

After several hundred years of silence, with Isaiah long in the presence of God, God spoke once again of the way forward. He announced the arrival of the long-awaited King!

We know the story of Mary, and how as a teenage virgin she became the mother of the Son of God. It’s an amazing story yet one that has become commonplace, especially in the advent season. So, take a moment and meditate on Mary’s experience of hearing the announcement from God and reclaim some of the amazement at God and His ways. 

Mary was a mere 14 years old by most accounts. She was espoused (similar to our modern-day engagement period) to a godly man named Joseph. She expected to marry, have children, and live a quiet life in her village of Nazareth. 

Yet, God looked upon her with grace, determined to include her in His plan to rescue the world. He sent to Mary the angel Gabriel, the same Gabriel who appeared to Zechariah months ago and hundreds of years earlier to the prophet Daniel. Gabriel announced the amazing news that God was sending His Son into the world. Who would this child be? 

Gabriel announced 5 things about God’s Son, whom he said must be named Jesus:

  1. He will be great
  2. He will be called the Son of the Most High
  3. The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David
  4. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever
  5. Of his kingdom there will be no end

Any one of these is worth meditating on and marveling over. Think of how Mary felt hearing all this! Any one of these statements was enough to blow her away, but one after another she learns that the son to be in her womb would be like none other. No one would compare to His greatness. No one would be His equal, for He is the Son of the Most High. He will come from the line of Israel’s greatest king, but He will far exceed even King David. He would rule over Israel forever, and His kingdom would never end! Amazing news! News Israel had waited thousands of years to hear.

Most instructive for us is Mary’s response to this news. “I am your servant. Let it be to me according to your word.” 

We’ve discussed this week the way of the Lord – His plan to save the lost, and to usher in paradise. The way and the plan is Jesus. May we say with humble Mary, “Yes, Lord, I accept your way. I yield to your terms of Lordship over my life. Use me in your Kingdom however you see fit.”

 

Advent 2020 – Micah 5:1-5 (Dec. 3)

by Leave a Comment

These daily devotional readings accompany the Advent at Home guide prepared by the West Park Prayer Ministry Team. If you haven’t already, download the advent scripture reading schedule here.

Micah 5:1-5

1 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

5 And he shall be their peace.

2020 has been a year of bad news. Coronavirus, riots, a divided union, leadership struggles – these things have hit us hard.

701 B.C. was a year of bad news in Judah. The prophet Micah sounded the alarm, “Siege is laid against us; muster your troops!” Very soon the violent nation of Assyria was coming to invade Judah, and the people of God would be scattered abroad as they were stolen from their homeland.

But no matter the year, when we turn to our God, we find Him faithful to all His promises. And that gives us hope.

God promised to besieged Judah that He would produce for Himself a ruler for Judah from the insignificant town of Bethlehem. This small town was the original hometown of Israel’s greatest king, David. God’s promise to David that he would always have a descendent of his on the throne in Israel would one day be fulfilled by a man who would be “great to the ends of the earth.” He would gather God’s people together and shepherd them in the strength of the LORD. For God’s people He would be “their peace.” And God’s people would forever dwell secure.

These are promises of hope. We remember them this advent time as they were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He is the descendent of David the king. And while He fulfilled many of the promises about the Messiah, some of these promises are yet to be fulfilled. But that is where we place our hope today. Just as God kept His promises in Micah’s day, He will keep His promises to us. We can count on Him, and our hope is secure and solid when we place it all on God’s promises. And while the world is not yet settled, and God’s people are not yet fully secure, we know that even now Jesus is our Peace. And whether it’s 701 B.C. or A.D. 2020, that’s the best news we could ever receive.

Following Jesus Through Holy Week – Monday

by

Join me this week to read the gospel accounts that walk us through the final week of the Lord Jesus.

Here’s a helpful breakdown of what happened1 on Monday:

  • Jesus curses the fig tree (Matt. 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14)
  • Jesus cleanses the temple (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-46)
  • Jesus returns to Bethany with His disciples (Mark 11:19

Let’s examine today what Mark recorded about these events.

Mark 11:12–19

[12] On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. [13] And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. [14] And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

[15] And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [16] And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. [17] And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” [18] And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. [19] And when evening came they went out of the city. (ESV)

What must we learn from this text?

Most Bible teachers see the curse on the fig tree and the clearing of the Temple as related events. How do they relate? Consider first that Jesus was hungry and looked for fruit on the fig tree. On first reading this you may think that it’s strange for anyone to look for figs when Mark says it wasn’t the season for figs. However, when Jesus saw the leaves on the tree from a distance, He knew that when fig leaves appear, so too appears the green figs. That’s true of fig trees: the appearance of leaves should be accompanied by the first figs. He curses the tree and travels down the Kidron Valley and up into Jerusalem.

Jesus clears the Temple for the same essential reason that he cursed the fig tree: He finds no fruit among the worshippers. Worship has become a means to get money, not get God. Those charged with leading and shepherding people to God were actually preventing them from God. Jesus says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations… but you have made it a den of robbers!”

Here’s what we should consider on this Monday:

  • Jesus expects fruit from His people. He has the right to demand the fruit of worship and prayer from my life.
  • Let each of us consider: am I truly seeking God and helping others do the same? Or am I content with religious activity that centers on man?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, how much You desired to see fruit come from Your people that Passover week so long ago. You are worthy, wonderful King of receiving the gifts of Your people. All they were and had then, and all we are and have now, should be the praise of Your great Name. Forgive us for how we have lived for ourselves. Help us by Your Spirit to bring fruit to You today.

________________________

1. Crossway is currently offering free access to their ESV Study Bible. To access the Harmony of the Holy Week Chart, simply sign up for that resource, and even more, from Crossway.